Bruce Power wants an electricity retailer licence.
President and CEO Duncan Hawthorne says Bruce Power has applied to the Ontario Energy Board for such a document.
Hawthorne says it would allow the company to sell power at the retail level in the province.
He says there is a very active market in what they call the “MUSH” section–Municipalities; Universities; Schools and Hospitals.
Hawthorne says these segments are looking to buy power at the cheapest possible rate but Bruce Power can’t provide that service without a retail licence.
He says for instance, the Loblaws organization uses about 300 megawatts of power per year in all of its stores and it likes to buy the power in a block.
They usually do so through a broker.
Hawthorne says if they got a retail licence, they could eliminate the broker and the accompanying fees, making the cost of energy cheaper for the customer while at the same time providing a certainty of price for Bruce Power’s output.
He says the company will not be going door-to-door selling to individuals but would focus on the commercial sector.
The Ontario Energy Board plans to deal with the issue through written submissions, for and against the request.
The written submissions need to be in by January 31st.
